Tourism numbers trending up

At the Alaska Travel Industry Association’s annual convention in Fairbanks two weeks ago, industry leaders gave some very positive news — visitation to Alaska hit an all-time high, with 1.96 million visitors traveling to Alaska.

ATIA contracts with The McDowell Group to perform surveys of visitors as part of the Alaska Visitor Statistics Program. Through this program, the industry gets an accurate snapshot of current trends, and future predictions.

The McDowell Group reported that cruise traffic is expected to grow next year by 2.8 percent as ships with larger berth numbers enter Alaska’s waters, replacing smaller ships. That’s great news for the Mat-Su Valley was well, as many of these cruise passengers do a pre- or post-cruise land tour that includes our area and hotels.

Overall, McDowell predicts a 2 percent to 3 percent increase in visitation for 2014-2015, with all indicators trending up in the next year. This marks the third consecutive year visitation numbers have increased, which is an encouraging sign the industry has fully recovered from the downturn felt when there were concerns about the economy in 2009-2010.

Air traffic also increased, including 7 percent growth from Icelandair in their second year flying to Anchorage. The airline connects Europe to Alaska through direct flights, making access to the state easier than flying through the Lower 48. Icelandair also has committed to service in 2015, giving a much-needed boost to the international visitor market segment.

The numbers indicate that marketing efforts — from the state level down to the local level — are working to attract visitors north. The Mat-Su CVB partners with ATIA on a number of marketing programs to expand our reach while stretching our budget. Cooperative marketing including sales missions, advertising and participation in national travel shows allows us to reach consumers who are in the decision-making process in an affordable manner.

Keeping the Mat-Su Valley at the front of the mind with these potential visitors allows us to see continued growth, both in visitation numbers and bed tax revenue collected by the Mat-Su Borough. Statewide, visitors spent $3.9 billion — that’s money that helps support 46,000 tourism-related employees, and that money also circulates throughout the community, helping every business, not just those in the industry.

The peak season may have ended, but the “marketing season” during the visitor planning process is just kicking off, in preparation for another successful summer of 2015.

Casey Ressler is the marketing and communications manager at the Mat-Su CVB. Contact him at casey@alaskavisit.com.